Offense Not the Issue for Alabama in Loss to Tennessee

Crimson Tide offense put up some of its best numbers of the season, but the defense could not get the timely stop.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — What if I told you at any point during this past week that Bryce Young not only would play against Tennessee, but throw for a season high in yards and the second-highest total in his decorated career? Or that Jahmyr Gibbs would have his third straight 100-yard rushing performance? Perhaps that Alabama would score 49 points?

Would you have thought that Alabama would win on the road against No. 6 Tennessee with those type numbers? 

Unfortunately for the Crimson Tide, those weren't hypothetical numbers Saturday night at Neyland Stadium. Those were the offensive numbers put up in a loss. In his first game back from the shoulder injury, Bryce Young excelled and helped the offense put up more than 550 yards of offense, but Alabama couldn't get the needed stops on defense in the 52-49 loss. 

"Bryce played really well in the game, made a lot of plays offensively," Alabama head coach Nick Saban said after the game. "Just didn’t get it done on defense when we had the chance.”

Saban was really critical of his defense in the postgame, which allowed the most points in the Saban era, but was more positive about Young and the offense as a whole. 

"We changed the momentum of the game several times, we just weren’t able to take advantage of it by getting enough stops on defense," Saban said.

The crowd at Neyland Stadium was loud and involved all game long, especially once the Volunteers jumped out to a 28-10 lead, but Saban was pleased with the way the offense handled the crowd noise. 

Alabama posted 569 yards of total offense, only trailing the 628 total yards gained against Vanderbilt this season, and had a season high in passing with Young's 455 passing yards and two touchdowns. 

The offensive line put on one of its better performance of the season, only allowing one sack and giving Young lots of time to throw. When he didn't have time to throw, Young showed off his elusiveness and found receivers in tight windows, showing multiple times why he won the Heisman trophy last year. 

With 35 total completions, Alabama was able to get multiple pass-catchers involved in the offense. Tight end Cameron Latu had his best game of the season with six catches for 90 yards and a touchdown. Freshman wide receiver Kobe Prentice also had his best game with nine catches for 66 yards. Ja'Corey Brooks, Jermaine Burton, Isaiah Bond and JoJo Earle all had key catches. 

Gibbs also had success rushing the ball with 103 yards on 24 carries and a season-high three touchdowns. 

Despite putting up 49 points, the offense could not get the crucial points when it needed to at the end of the game. Alabama got down to the Tennessee 32-yard line with a little over 30 second left, and three straight incompletions, including a drop from Gibbs on second down. It forced the Crimson Tide to settle for a field goal, which Will Reichard eventually missed. 

"When we’ve got the ball like that, it’s on us to score," Young said. "I think that’s something we can learn from it for sure."

So this isn't to say that the offense wasn't an issue at all. It clearly did not execute at the end of the game, but it was not the main issue in a game that saw the Alabama defense give up its most points since 1907. Plus a special teams miscue in the first half was on a muffed punt by Quanarrius Robinson that gave the Volunteers the ball in Alabama territory after the Crimson Tide defense got its first stop of the game. Alabama also shot itself in the foot with 130 yards worth of penalties on 17 infractions. 

A very somber Young in the postgame said he was happy to be back playing with his teammates but had little positive to say about the game despite a strong individual performance. 

"It always feels great to be out there with my teammates, Young said. "So that was great, but at the end of the day, we lost."

Even though Young had not been fully throwing with the team at practice this week, it didn't show by his performance Saturday night. 

"I had total trust and confidence that he had practiced enough that he wasn’t going to forget how to play quarterback, and he didn’t," Saban said. "So even though he wasn’t able to practice, especially throwing the ball as much in the passing game, it got him healthy so he could go out there and throw it effectively was probably the most important thing. I thought the way our medical staff handled that gave him the best opportunity to do it, and he obviously came through and played really well today."

See Also:

Walsh: Tennessee's 52-49 Clutch Win Spoils Bryce Young Treat in Third Saturday in October

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Offense Not the Issue for Alabama in Loss to Tennessee

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Instant Analysis: No. 6 Tennessee 52, No. 3 Alabama 49

Everything Nick Saban Said After Alabama's 52-49 Loss at Tennessee

"I Smoked it Slow, but it was Dang Good:" What Tennessee Said After 52-49 Win Over Alabama

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